Booking photo of Robert McClain. COURTESY OF THE ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE

SANTA ANA – Superior Court Judge Gary Paer has in the past brought mental-health counselors to his courtroom to consult with jurors disturbed by what they are forced to see, hear and consider in particularly heinous cases.

The judge, a former prosecutor, said in past interviews that it is a common-sense thing to do when citizens are summoned to do their civic duty and then are exposed to criminal behavior that is almost unimaginable to them.

"We don't want to expose people from off the streets to some real horrendous (things) ... and then just send them on their way to deal with it on their own," Paer said after a particularly hideous sex case in 2007, in which the perpetrators videotaped themselves having sex with children.

Paer has now been assigned to another case with atrocious accusations.

Judges are prohibited from discussing cases assigned to them. But jurors selected in Paer's court last week to hear the evidence against Robert McClain were warned by attorneys during the selection process that they would hear graphic, disturbing testimony.

McClain, a former deputy sheriff in Los Angeles County, is accused of multiple counts of torture, mayhem, kidnapping and sexual assault involving his wife – the mother of his four children – and her new boyfriend.

Here's how Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas described the case against McClain: "This is one of the most violent and sadistic crimes against two victims, who fortunately managed to survive. It is a terrible example of domestic violence. ... This is not only a shocking act from a person who supposedly loved his wife, but also from a police officer whose job was to uphold the law and fight against this type of violence, not perpetrate it."

Opening statements in McClain's trial are scheduled for Monday.

The defendant has pleaded "not guilty" and "not guilty by reason of insanity," which splits the trial into two phases. Jurors will weigh guilt first and hear evidence about the allegations. A conviction triggers a sanity phase, with the same jury considering evidence to determine if the defendant was legally sane at the time of the incident.

McClain could be sentenced to multiple life terms in prison if convicted.

GRAPHIC DETAILS

At the time of the incident, McClain, 38, of Irvine, had been married to his wife, 31, for several years, and the couple had four children. According to prosecutors, McClain became angry when he learned his wife was having an affair with a 23-year-old man who lived in an Irvine apartment complex where she worked in the leasing office.

On Sept. 28, 2008, McClain convinced his wife to take him to meet her boyfriend, under the pretense of being introduced to the man who might ultimately spend time around the couple's children, according to prosecutors. Once he was alone with his wife and her lover, things got ugly, they allege.

During the next two hours, prosecutors said, McClain, among other things:

•Repeatedly punched and kicked both victims, beating the boyfriend so severely that he was knocked unconscious and suffered extreme blood loss;

•Forced both victims at knifepoint to undress and then removed his own clothing;

•Ordered his wife to perform a sex act on the boyfriend while the man was bleeding and incapacitated;

•Ordered his wife to have sex with the other man. The victims were unable to have sex, prosecutors said, due to their fear and physical injuries;

•Gave the knife to his wife, and ordered her to castrate her boyfriend. Prosecutors say she pretended to follow the instructions but did not actually attempt to cut him;

•Repeatedly sliced the man's face with the knife, and strangled him;

•Urinated on both victims;

•Gagged both victims, including forcing bloody clothes into the man's mouth;

•Kicked his wife in the side as she used her body to attempt to protect the boyfriend.

MAJOR INJURIES

Following the attacks, prosecutors said, McClain left the boyfriend in a massive pool of blood and kidnapped his wife.

The defendant is accused of driving her to a secluded road and forcibly raping and sodomizing her in his car. He is further accused of using the knife to cut off her hair and unsuccessfully ordering her to cut her own face so other men wouldn't find her attractive, according to an Orange County District Attorney's Office news release.

McClain then drove his wife back to their Irvine home and beat her several more times, prosecutors said.

The victim tried to escape when McClain fell asleep, but he woke up and tackled her, breaking her clavicle and rendering her unconscious, according to prosecutors.

When she awoke, the wife escaped and drove to a nearby hospital, where the staff alerted police, according to prosecutors.

About the same time, at approximately 7 a.m. Sept. 29, 2008, a cleaning crew discovered the boyfriend in the leasing office and called 911.

The Irvine Police Department went to McClain's apartment and arrested him without incident.

Both victims survived the attack but suffered serious injuries.

The male victim suffered brain damage, multiple bone fractures in his face, excessive blood loss, stab wounds to his genitals, several cuts to his groin area, and lacerations to his face and arm, according to prosecutors. His mouth had to be wired shut and he spent months relearning to walk and talk.

The female victim suffered a concussion, broken clavicle, abrasions to her face, arms and legs, injuries to her waist and back, and other injuries.

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